Showing posts with label 3 Advent C. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 3 Advent C. Show all posts

Friday, December 13, 2024

Messiah as Baptizer with the Holy Spirit and Fire

3 Advent C December 15, 2024
Zeph 3:14-20 Canticle 9
Phil.4:4-9 Luke 3:7-18



It is safe to say that the New Testament in part is a discussion about the meaning of the Messiah.

The writings of the New Testament stretch from the earliest writings of Paul in around the year 55 (already 25 years after Jesus) to portions which were written into the second century.

With so many writings and at different times in a time span of 70-90 years after Jesus, it would be natural to speak of the messiah as a composite of reflections representing a diversities of views and discussions.

And the New Testament is written in part, as a testimony that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah, this figure who was written about in the Hebrew Scriptures as well as the one who was referred to in various ways in the other apocrypha writings which did not attain canonical status to be a part of the Bibles of Christians and Jews.

In the Season of Advent, the very name Advent refers to "coming," but we should rather say, "comings" because Advent is used to refer to both the first and second comings of the Christ.

In our appointed Gospel, we have the interesting discussion presented about John the Baptist.  John the Baptist is presented as having to deny that he was the Messiah.  Why would such a denial be needed?  It would indicate that there were people who believed that John the Baptist was such a formidable person that his followers and others were speculating as to whether he might be this great mythic figure of the Messiah about whom public discussion was happening.

The Gospels are presented in part by former disciples of John the Baptist who made the transition from the community of John the Baptist into the Jesus Movement as followers of Jesus of Nazareth.

Was Jesus the Messiah or was John the Baptist?  A presentation of a confession from John the Baptist by one of his former followers would be useful to resolve this question.

In the words of John the Baptist, there is an interesting distinction between what he said about himself in his denial of being the Messiah, and his confession about Jesus of Nazareth.

John said, "I baptize with water, but the one more powerful than I, is coming,...and he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."

In Christian baptism the elements are water, chrism or oil, and the fire symbolized by the Paschal Candle and baptismal candles.  The Holy Oil anointing is symbolic of the anointing or baptism by the Holy Spirit and the fire symbolizes the heat of the refiners purifying fire.

The Messianic reality of Jesus of Nazareth is being known within myriads of people as a baptism of the Holy Spirit to know the inward abiding presence of the Risen Christ.  This is the messianic difference between John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth as the members of the Jesus Movement confessed it in the Gospel.  The arrival of the Risen Christ within the lives of many people were for them his second coming.

To say that Jesus as Messiah in a spiritual and hidden kingdom has not really been regarded by many Christians as being incarnational enough, not materialistic enough, not politically evident enough throughout the world.  Christians have often fought to be the Empire of the world to prove that Jesus of Nazareth was a Davidic-like King who intervened in the world to dominate on behalf of Christians.

Christians who want Jesus to be in charge of an Empire have gotten wrong the main feature of Risen Christ incarnationalism.  The meaning of Spirit-filled people indwelt by the Risen Christ becoming incarnate again in the deeds of love and kindness of such people, not in their having political power within society.  It is a mistake for us to misinterpret what the messianic means in our lives today.  It is interior life changing power; it is not being a political state.

The baptism with fire by Jesus as Messiah and Risen Christ is for us to continue in the age of the suffering servant Jesus who remains identified with us in the continuing ordeal of this world.  We are living in the age of the always already baptism with fire, the perpetuity of life being an ordeal.

Having the Spirit of the Risen Christ during the ordeal of living is the crucible that is observed on gaudete Sunday, the Third Sunday of Advent.  How do we experience a deep inner joy even within the features of the ordeals of life when life is not always happy events for us and for many people within this world?  The Risen Christ is still within us and this world as the continuity of the ministry of suffering servant Messiah.  And so we can have the joy of Holy Spirit even while being very unhappy with specific conditions of suffering in this world which is consistently experienced as both entropy of apparent conditions while experiencing new birth and new beginning within new surpassing new states of becoming.

Within the age of the baptism of fire by Jesus the Messiah, we have the visions of the apocalyptic as affirmation of the normalcy of justice and the reality of endings making room for new beginnings of better approximations of justice being lived out within the lives of those who claim to know the presence of the Risen Christ.

Many Christians seem to reduce the ordeal of our age to a war or a game with the hope that someday our team will win when all the bad guys are punished.

The ordeal is the actual life of the free conditions of probabilities, namely, living with what actually might happen now and in the future given what has already happened in the past.

Many Christians want the end of the life of probabilities where only good wins, thus making goodness a future automatic robotic happening, and robbing morality of any significance when only the freedom to be good would persist.

I would invite during this Advent season to embrace the age of the baptism with fire, the age of the ordeal of the always already conditions of free probability for all things to happen.  We can rejoice within the conditions of the fiery ordeal because we have been baptized by Jesus the Messiah into a Holy Spirit Kingdom, who is our rejoicing in spite of the fiery ordeal.

May God give us all grace to survive and thrive within the fiery ordeal of what may happen, and may we know the messianic baptism of the Holy Spirit by the presence of the Risen Christ in our lives.  With this baptism, we have been given the joy to rejoice. Amen.


Monday, December 9, 2024

Sunday School, December 15, 2024 3 Advent C

 Sunday School, December 15, 2024    3 Advent C

Gaudete Sunday

You can use the Advent Candles and Wreath as a countdown calendar for Christmas.  Just like a child might mark each day waiting for his or her birthday, the four Advent Candles provide a countdown to
Christmas.

The third Sunday is called Gaudete, the Latin word which means Rejoice.  And the Epistle reading is, “Rejoice in the Lord, always and again I say Rejoice.”

The candle for the third Sunday in Advent is pink and different from the purple color of the other Advent candles.

Today we put together the words rejoice and repent.

Repent is just a fancy religious word for “education.”   What is the opposite of education?  Ignorance.  What is the opposite of Rejoice?  Being sad.

Education and rejoicing go together.  Much of the suffering and the pain in our world is caused by human ignorance.  One of the reasons we repent or get educated is to learn how to prevent bad things from happening to us and to others.

A very young baby is ignorant about fire and so if a baby is not taken care, the baby might be fascinated by fire and put his finger in the fire and get burned.  And the baby would not rejoice if he got his finger burned.

Repentance is education or learning new things and when we learn new things we can learn to behave and act differently and we can help to make our lives and the lives of other happy.

John the Baptist was a special prophet of repentance.  He encouraged us to become more educated so that we could avoid future disasters and future sadness.

God has given us rules and laws for us to learn and if we learn these laws we can prevent many disasters and we can create rejoicing.

If we love God, give God some time by prayer, honor our parents, respect life, tell the truth, respect our families, and be content with what we have, we will have much to rejoice in our lives.

Repentance is learning how to act to prevent bad things happening to us.  And if we prevent bad things from happening, we will have joy and rejoicing rather than sadness and suffering.

If you go skateboarding without your knee pads, you might scrape and hurt your knee if you fall.  Then you would suffer and be sad.  But if you learn to wear knee pads, and you fall, then you knee would be just fine and you would be happy and you would be able to rejoice in the fun that you are having.

Discuss how repentance or education is about doing things that can prevent suffering?   And if we can prevent suffering, then we will be able to live in rejoicing and happiness.

The Bible readings on this day teach us about repentance and rejoicing and it is a good time for us to learn about how education can prevent future suffering and sadness.

  What if I fall and scrape my knee?  Would that hurt?  And what if you came to me and said, “Father Phil, be happy!”  How would I feel?  I would not feel happy.
  This Sunday in Advent is called “Rejoice” Sunday or Be Really Happy Sunday.  But what if there are things that have happened and we don’t feel like being happy, should we still try to be really happy?
  When I hurt my knee, does everyone else hurt their knee at the same time?  No.  Can I be happy that other people did not hurt their knee?  Well, yes.  When I hurt my knee, do I have people who love and care for me?  Well, yes I do so I can be happy about that.   When I hurt my knee do I still have a home to live in, clothes to wear, and food to eat?  Well, yes I do so I can be happy about many things even when I am not happy about hurting my knee.
  When I hurt my knee, does the sun still shine and give me warmth and light?  Does water still quench my thirst?  Do pets still make me happy?  Do I still get to play sports?  Do I still get to read interesting books?  Do I still have friends?  Does God still love and care for me?  
  So, you see when I hurt my knee all of the millions and millions of other good things in life do not stop and so I still have many things to be happy about.
  But there is something very strong about pain.  When I hurt my knee and when I feel pain, that pain acts like a monster that wants to take over my whole life and my whole world.  The monster of pain tries to tell me that because I hurt my knee, everything in life is bad and painful.
  So when I hurt my knee, I need my friends to help me deal with the monster of pain.  I need my friends to show me that the million other good things in my life is so big that it can make the monster of pain become like a little ant.
  So this is rejoice and be happy Sunday.  When we rejoice, we start counting all of the good things we have in life and we begin to find how they are much more powerful than the bad things that happen to us in life.
  Today, there may be some very bad things in life and we have to gather and pray and learn to count up all of the good blessings in life and we have to learn how use the good blessings in life to prevent as many bad things from happening.
  If I scraped my knee when I was roller blading what should I do?  I should wear knee pads, right?
  And so if we rejoice in good health, then we look for ways to prevent injury in accidents.
  So, today is rejoice Sunday.  It is when we look at what is good in our lives.  But it is also repent Sunday.  After we see what is good, then to repent means that we work to prevent bad things from happening.
  Can you say Rejoice and Repent.  This is Rejoice and Repent Sunday.  Amen.


Family Service with Holy Eucharist
December 15, 2024: The Third Sunday of Advent

Gathering Songs: Light a Candle; Jesus Stand Among Us,  Peace Before Us; Thy Word,  When the Saints

Lighting of the Advent Candle:   Light a Candle
Light a candle for hope today, Light a candle for hope today, light a candle for hope today.           Advent time is here.
Light a candle for peace today..3. Love…  
             
Liturgist: Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
People: And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and for ever.  Amen.

Liturgist:  Oh God, Our hearts are open to you.
And you know us and we can hide nothing from you.
Prepare our hearts and our minds to love you and worship you.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Song:  Jesus Stand Among Us, Renew! #17
1-Jesus stand among us, at the meeting of our lives, be our sweet agreement at the meeting of our eyes; O, Jesus, we love You, so we gather here, join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.
2-So to You we’re gathering out of each and every land.  Christ the love between us at the joining of our hand; O, Jesus, we love You, so we gather here, join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.
3-Jesus stand among us, the breaking of the bread, join us as one body as we worship Your, our Head.  O, Jesus, we love You, so we gather here, join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.
People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray
Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

Litany Phrase: Alleluia (chanted)

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia
O God, you have made us! Alleluia
O God, you have made yourself known to us!  Alleluia
O God, you have provided us with us a Savior!  Alleluia
O God, you have given us a Christian family!  Alleluia
O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia
O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead!  Alleluia

A reading from the Letter to the Philippian Church

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God
Liturgist: Let us read together from the First Song of Isaiah

Surely, it is God who saves me; *  I will trust in him and not be afraid.
For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense, * and he will be my Savior.
Therefore you shall draw water with rejoicing * from the springs of salvation.
And on that day you shall say, * Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name;

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

Litanist:
For the good earth, for our food and clothing. Thanks be to God!
For our families and friends. Thanks be to God!
For the talents and gifts that you have given to us. Thanks be to God!
For this day of worship. Thanks be to God!
For health and for a good night’s sleep. Thanks be to God!
For work and for play. Thanks be to God!
For teaching and for learning. Thanks be to God!
For the happy events of our lives. Thanks be to God!
For the celebration of the birthdays and anniversaries of our friends and parish family. Thanks be to God!

Liturgist:         The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke
People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.


Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.
People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon:  Fr. Phil
Children’s Creed

We did not make ourselves, so we believe that God the Father is the maker of the world.
Since God is so great and we are so small,
We believe God came into our world and was born as Jesus, son of the Virgin Mary.
We need God’s help and we believe that God saved us by the life, death and
     resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We believe that God is present with us now as the Holy Spirit.
We believe that we are baptized into God’s family the Church where everyone is
     welcome.
We believe that Christ is kind and fair.
We believe that we have a future in knowing Jesus Christ.
And since we all must die, we believe that God will preserve us forever.  Amen.


Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy. (chanted)

For fighting and war to cease in our world. Christ, have mercy.
For peace on earth and good will towards all. Christ, have mercy.
For the safety of all who travel. Christ, have mercy.
For jobs for all who need them. Christ, have mercy.
For care of those who are growing old. Christ, have mercy.
For the safety, health and nutrition of all the children in our world. Christ, have mercy.
For the well-being of our families and friends. Christ, have mercy.
For the good health of those we know to be ill. Christ, have mercy.
For the remembrance of those who have died. Christ, have mercy.
For the forgiveness of all of our sins. Christ, have mercy.

Liturgist:         The Peace of the Lord be always with you.
People:            And also with you.

Song during the preparation of the Altar and the receiving of an offering.

Song: Peace Before Us (Wonder, Love and Praise,  # 791)
Peace before us.  Peace behind us.  Peace under our feet.  Peace within us.  Peace over us.  Let all around us be Peace.  Love,  Light, Christ

Children’s Choir:  Greater Than These Is Love,   by Russell Nagy
Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below.
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Prologue to the Eucharist
Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, for to them belong the kingdom of heaven.”
All become members of a family by birth or adoption.
Baptism is a celebration of birth into the family of God.
A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.
The Holy Eucharist is the special meal that Jesus gave to his friends to keep us together as the family of Christ.

The Lord be with you
And also with you.

Lift up your hearts
We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.
It is right to give God thanks and praise.

It is very good and right to give thanks, because God made us, Jesus redeemed us and the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts.  Therefore with Angels and Archangels and all of the world that we see and don’t see, we forever sing this hymn of praise:

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of Power and Might.  Heav’n and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 
Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

All  may gather around the altar

Our grateful praise we offer to you God, our Creator;
You have made us in your image
And you gave us many men and women of faith to help us to live by faith:
Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachael.
And then you gave us your Son, Jesus, born of Mary, nurtured by Joseph
And he called us to be sons and daughters of God.
Your Son called us to live better lives and he gave us this Holy Meal so that when we eat
  the bread and drink the wine, we can  know that the Presence of Christ is as near to us as  
  this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.

The Prayer continues with these words

And so, Father, we bring you these gifts of bread and wine. Bless and sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord. Bless and sanctify us by your Holy Spirit so that we may love God and our neighbor.

On the night when Jesus was betrayed he took bread, said the blessing, broke the bread, and gave it to his friends, and said, "Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me."

After supper, Jesus took the cup of wine, gave thanks, and said, "Drink this, all of you. This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me."

Father, we now celebrate the memorial of your Son. When we eat this holy Meal of Bread and Wine, we are telling the entire world about the life, death and resurrection of Christ and that his presence will be with us in our future.

Let this holy meal keep us together as friends who share a special relationship because of your Son Jesus Christ.  May we forever live with praise to God to whom we belong as sons and daughters.

By Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory
 is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. Amen.

And now as our Savior Christ has taught us, we now sing,
(Children rejoin their parents and take up their instruments)

Our Father: (Renew # 180, West Indian Lord’s Prayer)
Our Father who art in heaven:  Hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done: Hallowed be thy name.

Done on earth as it is in heaven: Hallowed be thy name.
Give us this day our daily bread: Hallowed be thy name.

And forgive us all our debts: Hallowed be thy name.
As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.
But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

Thine is the kingdom, power, and glory: Hallowed be thy name.
Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.
Amen, amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Breaking of the Bread

Celebrant:       Alleluia! Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.
People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

Words of Administration

Communion Song: Thy Word, (Renew! #94)
Refrain: Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and light unto my path
1-When I feel afraid, think I’ve lost my way, still you’re right beside me.  And nothing will I fear as long as you are near.  Please be near me to the end.  Refrain.
2-I will not forget your love for me, and yet my heart forever is wandering.  Jesus, be my guide and hold me to your side; and I will love you to the end.  Refrain

Post-Communion Prayer

Everlasting God, we have gathered for the meal that Jesus asked us to keep;
We have remembered his words of blessing on the bread and the wine.
And His Presence has been known to us.
We have remembered that we are sons and daughters of God and brothers
    and sisters in Christ.
Send us forth now into our everyday lives remembering that the blessing in the
     bread and wine spreads into each time, place and person in our lives,
As we are ever blessed by you, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Closing Song: O When the Saints, (The Christian Children’s Songbook, # 248)
O when those saints, go marching in, Oh, when those saints go marching in, Lord I want to be in that number when the saint go marching in.
Boys….. 3.  Girls  4.  Saints

Dismissal:   
Liturgist: Let us go forth in the Name of Christ. 
People: Thanks be to God! 
  

Sunday, December 12, 2021

How Do We Rejoice with Caesar's Army Present?

3 Advent C December 12, 2021
Zeph 3:14-20 Canticle 9 Phil.4:4-9 Luke 3:7-18
Lectionary Link




St. Paul was a Jew who came to follow Christ and became an apostle to found communities in cities in the Roman Empire.  He lived as a member of a religious minority preaching and leading minority communities in an Empire which proclaimed the Caesar as a god and son of a god.

So what does Paul write to the church in Philippi?  Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

How can we rejoice Paul?  We're a small minority and if we let our identity be known too widely, we could face persecution.

Today is Rejoice Sunday in the season of Advent.  And we might have difficulty following the "rejoice" command if we are facing major challenges in our personal lives and in the life of our country.

And this is where we have to know the direction of rejoicing?  Rejoice in the Lord.  The Lord of the Roman Empire was the Caesar.  Don't rejoice in him; rejoice in the ruler of the interior kingdom of God, the Risen Christ, because he can be found wherever one is and in any circumstance.

The Jesus Movement was the embracing of an alternative reality in the midst of the Empire reality of the Caesar.  We are still a part of the Jesus Movement; we cannot identify the Lord Risen Christ with any political party or leaders in this world.  The Jesus Movement is an interior movement of the Holy Spirit, a parallel realm within which we can know a different kind of identity, what Paul also called our heavenly citizenship.  If the Caesar seems to be close at hand within the soldiers inhabiting the land, St. Paul wrote that the "Lord, Risen Christ, " is even nearer.  And the nearness of the Risen Christ gives us the uncanny freedom to be free from worry, when logic often seems tells us that we should be worried.  The Lord Risen Christ gives us the freedom continually to offer thankful prayers with our requests to God.  The Roman Caesars required praise and tributes; Paul suggested that God is the Lord who deserves our thankful prayers.

What might characterize the most winsome way of living?  Gentleness.  Paul tells his community that they can live gentle lives.  And this is not some effete weakness; this is knowing how to access the inner charisma of the original joy like the smile of a sleeping baby.  Gentle charisma is winsome; it not a sign of weakness and this is how we are to melt the hearts of the people we live with, with winsome gentleness, which is the strength to check our egos and make room for others and tend to them with care.

Paul and the Philippian church lived in the "Pax Romana" Empire.  The Roman Peace, which was accomplished by the success of the Roman armies.  If you crucify all opponents, you might call it a peace, because everyone is living in the fear of violence.

Paul spoke of the inner kingdom of peace that we have access to because of the Risen Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit.  Perhaps the greatest secret of the mystical experience is to know interior peace in a place below all emotions and sentimentality.  Our emotions can be tamed by the experience of this deep peace of God which is a bedrock experience of knowing that one has been baptized by God's Spirit.

Many years after Paul wrote, the Gospels were written to trace the genealogy of the knowledge of this kingdom and realm of the Risen Christ through the presence of the Holy Spirit.  And the genealogy in knowing the kingdom of the Risen Christ included the figure of John the Baptist who taught us some important lessons.

John taught us to accept rebuke when we are religious hypocrites; when we try to replace love and justice with religious piety and performance of ritual.  Rather than trying to look religious, John asked people to do the obvious good deeds, to share food and clothing, to be honest and don't use power to bully people.  And John encouraged us to know ourselves, like he knew himself.  He knew that he was not the Messiah, and he knew his role was to point to the Messiah who would baptize with the Holy Spirit to initiate people into the kingdom of God.  To make people aware that the kingdom of God has always already been the fact of the universe.

Today, we are invited to rejoice, because we live in the realm of God.  And we are invited to live winsome lives of gentleness so that people can come to know the gentle and peaceful life of God within them.

Blessed Mary is the saint of our parish, and she has been known in transhistorical appearance, as we remember on this day, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  As Blessed Mary came to Juan Diego in her appearance as our Lady of Guadalupe and brought peace, healing, and identity to the people of Mexico, and to all people who are threatened by the empires of oppression, let us know that Blessed Mary is also praying for us to know joy in knowing that the Risen Christ is born within us.  Amen.


Wednesday, December 8, 2021

Sunday School, December 12, 3 Advent C

Sunday School, December 12,    3 Advent C


Gaudete Sunday

You can use the Advent Candles and Wreath as a countdown calendar for Christmas.  Just like a child might mark each day waiting for his or her birthday, the four Advent Candles provide a countdown to
Christmas.

The third Sunday is called Gaudete, the Latin word which means Rejoice.  And the Epistle reading is, “Rejoice in the Lord, always and again I say Rejoice.”

The candle for the third Sunday in Advent is pink and different from the purple color of the other Advent candles.

Today we put together the words rejoice and repent.

Repent is just a fancy religious word for “education.”   What is the opposite of education?  Ignorance.  What is the opposite of Rejoice?  Being sad.

Education and rejoicing go together.  Much of the suffering and the pain in our world is caused by human ignorance.  One of the reasons we repent or get educated is to learn how to prevent bad things from happening to us and to others.

A very young baby is ignorant about fire and so if a baby is not taken care, the baby might be fascinated by fire and put his finger in the fire and get burned.  And the baby would not rejoice if he got his finger burned.

Repentance is education or learning new things and when we learn new things we can learn to behave and act differently and we can help to make our lives and the lives of other happy.

John the Baptist was a special prophet of repentance.  He encouraged us to become more educated so that we could avoid future disasters and future sadness.

God has given us rules and laws for us to learn and if we learn these laws we can prevent many disasters and we can create rejoicing.

If we love God, give God some time by prayer, honor our parents, respect life, tell the truth, respect our families, and be content with what we have, we will have much to rejoice in our lives.

Repentance is learning how to act to prevent bad things happening to us.  And if we prevent bad things from happening, we will have joy and rejoicing rather than sadness and suffering.

If you go skateboarding without your knee pads, you might scrape and hurt your knee if you fall.  Then you would suffer and be sad.  But if you learn to wear knee pads, and you fall, then you knee would be just fine and you would be happy and you would be able to rejoice in the fun that you are having.

Discuss how repentance or education is about doing things that can prevent suffering?   And if we can prevent suffering, then we will be able to live in rejoicing and happiness.

The Bible readings on this day teach us about repentance and rejoicing and it is a good time for us to learn about how education can prevent future suffering and sadness.

  What if I fall and scrape my knee?  Would that hurt?  And what if you came to me and said, “Father Phil, be happy!”  How would I feel?  I would not feel happy.
  This Sunday in Advent is called “Rejoice” Sunday or Be Really Happy Sunday.  But what if there are things that have happened and we don’t feel like being happy, should we still try to be really happy?
  When I hurt my knee, does everyone else hurt their knee at the same time?  No.  Can I be happy that other people did not hurt their knee?  Well, yes.  When I hurt my knee, do I have people who love and care for me?  Well, yes I do so I can be happy about that.   When I hurt my knee do I still have a home to live in, clothes to wear, and food to eat?  Well, yes I do so I can be happy about many things even when I am not happy about hurting my knee.
  When I hurt my knee, does the sun still shine and give me warmth and light?  Does water still quench my thirst?  Do pets still make me happy?  Do I still get to play sports?  Do I still get to read interesting books?  Do I still have friends?  Does God still love and care for me?  
  So, you see when I hurt my knee all of the millions and millions of other good things in life do not stop and so I still have many things to be happy about.
  But there is something very strong about pain.  When I hurt my knee and when I feel pain, that pain acts like a monster that wants to take over my whole life and my whole world.  The monster of pain tries to tell me that because I hurt my knee, everything in life is bad and painful.
  So when I hurt my knee, I need my friends to help me deal with the monster of pain.  I need my friends to show me that the million other good things in my life is so big that it can make the monster of pain become like a little ant.
  So this is rejoice and be happy Sunday.  When we rejoice, we start counting all of the good things we have in life and we begin to find how they are much more powerful than the bad things that happen to us in life.
  Today, there may be some very bad things in life and we have to gather and pray and learn to count up all of the good blessings in life and we have to learn how use the good blessings in life to prevent as many bad things from happening.
  If I scraped my knee when I was roller blading what should I do?  I should wear knee pads, right?
  And so if we rejoice in good health, then we look for ways to prevent injury in accidents.
  So, today is rejoice Sunday.  It is when we look at what is good in our lives.  But it is also repent Sunday.  After we see what is good, then to repent means that we work to prevent bad things from happening.
  Can you say Rejoice and Repent.  This is Rejoice and Repent Sunday.  Amen.


Family Service with Holy Eucharist
December 12, 2021: The Third Sunday of Advent

Gathering Songs: Light a Candle; Jesus Stand Among Us,  Peace Before Us; Thy Word,  When the Saints

Lighting of the Advent Candle:   Light a Candle
Light a candle for hope today, Light a candle for hope today, light a candle for hope today.           Advent time is here.
Light a candle for peace today..3. Love…  
             
Liturgist: Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
People: And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and for ever.  Amen.

Liturgist:  Oh God, Our hearts are open to you.
And you know us and we can hide nothing from you.
Prepare our hearts and our minds to love you and worship you.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Song:  Jesus Stand Among Us, Renew! #17
1-Jesus stand among us, at the meeting of our lives, be our sweet agreement at the meeting of our eyes; O, Jesus, we love You, so we gather here, join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.
2-So to You we’re gathering out of each and every land.  Christ the love between us at the joining of our hand; O, Jesus, we love You, so we gather here, join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.
3-Jesus stand among us, the breaking of the bread, join us as one body as we worship Your, our Head.  O, Jesus, we love You, so we gather here, join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.
People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray
Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

Litany Phrase: Alleluia (chanted)

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia
O God, you have made us! Alleluia
O God, you have made yourself known to us!  Alleluia
O God, you have provided us with us a Savior!  Alleluia
O God, you have given us a Christian family!  Alleluia
O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia
O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead!  Alleluia

A reading from the Letter to the Philippian Church

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord
People: Thanks be to God
Liturgist: Let us read together from the First Song of Isaiah

Surely, it is God who saves me; *  I will trust in him and not be afraid.
For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense, * and he will be my Savior.
Therefore you shall draw water with rejoicing * from the springs of salvation.
And on that day you shall say, * Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name;

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

Litanist:
For the good earth, for our food and clothing. Thanks be to God!
For our families and friends. Thanks be to God!
For the talents and gifts that you have given to us. Thanks be to God!
For this day of worship. Thanks be to God!
For health and for a good night’s sleep. Thanks be to God!
For work and for play. Thanks be to God!
For teaching and for learning. Thanks be to God!
For the happy events of our lives. Thanks be to God!
For the celebration of the birthdays and anniversaries of our friends and parish family. Thanks be to God!

Liturgist:         The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke
People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.


Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.
People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon:  Fr. Phil
Children’s Creed

We did not make ourselves, so we believe that God the Father is the maker of the world.
Since God is so great and we are so small,
We believe God came into our world and was born as Jesus, son of the Virgin Mary.
We need God’s help and we believe that God saved us by the life, death and
     resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We believe that God is present with us now as the Holy Spirit.
We believe that we are baptized into God’s family the Church where everyone is
     welcome.
We believe that Christ is kind and fair.
We believe that we have a future in knowing Jesus Christ.
And since we all must die, we believe that God will preserve us forever.  Amen.


Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy. (chanted)

For fighting and war to cease in our world. Christ, have mercy.
For peace on earth and good will towards all. Christ, have mercy.
For the safety of all who travel. Christ, have mercy.
For jobs for all who need them. Christ, have mercy.
For care of those who are growing old. Christ, have mercy.
For the safety, health and nutrition of all the children in our world. Christ, have mercy.
For the well-being of our families and friends. Christ, have mercy.
For the good health of those we know to be ill. Christ, have mercy.
For the remembrance of those who have died. Christ, have mercy.
For the forgiveness of all of our sins. Christ, have mercy.

Liturgist:         The Peace of the Lord be always with you.
People:            And also with you.

Song during the preparation of the Altar and the receiving of an offering.

Song: Peace Before Us (Wonder, Love and Praise,  # 791)
Peace before us.  Peace behind us.  Peace under our feet.  Peace within us.  Peace over us.  Let all around us be Peace.  Love,  Light, Christ

Children’s Choir:  Greater Than These Is Love,   by Russell Nagy
Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below.
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Prologue to the Eucharist
Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, for to them belong the kingdom of heaven.”
All become members of a family by birth or adoption.
Baptism is a celebration of birth into the family of God.
A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.
The Holy Eucharist is the special meal that Jesus gave to his friends to keep us together as the family of Christ.

The Lord be with you
And also with you.

Lift up your hearts
We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.
It is right to give God thanks and praise.

It is very good and right to give thanks, because God made us, Jesus redeemed us and the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts.  Therefore with Angels and Archangels and all of the world that we see and don’t see, we forever sing this hymn of praise:

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of Power and Might.  Heav’n and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 
Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

All  may gather around the altar

Our grateful praise we offer to you God, our Creator;
You have made us in your image
And you gave us many men and women of faith to help us to live by faith:
Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachael.
And then you gave us your Son, Jesus, born of Mary, nurtured by Joseph
And he called us to be sons and daughters of God.
Your Son called us to live better lives and he gave us this Holy Meal so that when we eat
  the bread and drink the wine, we can  know that the Presence of Christ is as near to us as  
  this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.

The Prayer continues with these words

And so, Father, we bring you these gifts of bread and wine. Bless and sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord. Bless and sanctify us by your Holy Spirit so that we may love God and our neighbor.

On the night when Jesus was betrayed he took bread, said the blessing, broke the bread, and gave it to his friends, and said, "Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me."

After supper, Jesus took the cup of wine, gave thanks, and said, "Drink this, all of you. This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me."

Father, we now celebrate the memorial of your Son. When we eat this holy Meal of Bread and Wine, we are telling the entire world about the life, death and resurrection of Christ and that his presence will be with us in our future.

Let this holy meal keep us together as friends who share a special relationship because of your Son Jesus Christ.  May we forever live with praise to God to whom we belong as sons and daughters.

By Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory
 is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. Amen.

And now as our Savior Christ has taught us, we now sing,
(Children rejoin their parents and take up their instruments)

Our Father: (Renew # 180, West Indian Lord’s Prayer)
Our Father who art in heaven:  Hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done: Hallowed be thy name.

Done on earth as it is in heaven: Hallowed be thy name.
Give us this day our daily bread: Hallowed be thy name.

And forgive us all our debts: Hallowed be thy name.
As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.
But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

Thine is the kingdom, power, and glory: Hallowed be thy name.
Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.
Amen, amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Breaking of the Bread

Celebrant:       Alleluia! Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.
People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

Words of Administration

Communion Song: Thy Word, (Renew! #94)
Refrain: Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and light unto my path
1-When I feel afraid, think I’ve lost my way, still you’re right beside me.  And nothing will I fear as long as you are near.  Please be near me to the end.  Refrain.
2-I will not forget your love for me, and yet my heart forever is wandering.  Jesus, be my guide and hold me to your side; and I will love you to the end.  Refrain

Post-Communion Prayer

Everlasting God, we have gathered for the meal that Jesus asked us to keep;
We have remembered his words of blessing on the bread and the wine.
And His Presence has been known to us.
We have remembered that we are sons and daughters of God and brothers
    and sisters in Christ.
Send us forth now into our everyday lives remembering that the blessing in the
     bread and wine spreads into each time, place and person in our lives,
As we are ever blessed by you, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Closing Song: O When the Saints, (The Christian Children’s Songbook, # 248)
O when those saints, go marching in, Oh, when those saints go marching in, Lord I want to be in that number when the saint go marching in.
Boys….. 3.  Girls  4.  Saints

Dismissal:   
Liturgist: Let us go forth in the Name of Christ. 
People: Thanks be to God! 
  

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